Air Pollution

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days of (a) moderate, (b) high and (c) very high air pollution have been recorded by each automatic monitoring station in London in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: There are currently 113 automatic air monitoring stations in London incorporated in the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) and the London Air Quality Network (LAQN). The following table summarises the average number of days of (a) moderate, (b) high and (c) very high air pollution recorded by all automatic monitoring stations in London in each year since 1997.
	
		Average number of days in each band across London by year and pollutant (1997 to 2004)
		
			 Pollutant/Band 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Carbon monoxide 
			 2. Moderate 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 3. High 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 4.Very High 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Nitrogen dioxide 
			 2. Moderate 4 2 2 6 4 4 6 9 
			 3.High 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 4.Very High 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Ozone 
			 2. Moderate 54 48 72 60 61 68 85 73 
			 3. High 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 
			 4.Very High 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Participate Matter (PM10) 
			 2. Moderate 34 30 43 54 55 64 77 59 
			 3. High 3 0 2 2 3 2 4 3 
			 4.Very High 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 
			  
			 Sulphur dioxide 
			 2. Moderate 3 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 
			 3. High 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 4.Very High 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	The detailed information for each automatic monitoring station is published
	on the National Air Quality Information Archive at:
	http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/reports/reports.php? report id=309
	Historic and current data from the AURN and LAQN networks can be found at the following locations:
	AURN: http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/index.php
	LAQN: http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/home.asp

Air Pollution

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the concentration was of (a) nitrogen dioxide, (b) sulphur dioxide and (c) benzene in each (i) London borough and (ii) London ward in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: There are extensive networks of automatic and non-automatic air monitors in London. Air quality is not measured for these pollutants in each London borough and ward.
	Table 1 summarises the minimum (min) and maximum (max) annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and benzene across London in each of the last five years. The information is collected by Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN), the London Air Quality Network (LAQN). Historic and current data from the AURN and LAQN networks can be found at:
	AURN: http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/index.php
	LAQN: http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/home.asp
	
		Table 1: Range of annual mean concentrations in micrograms per metre cubed across London by year and pollutant (1997–2004)
		
			  Pollutant 
			  Benzene Nitrogen dioxide Sulphur dioxide 
			  Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum 
		
		
			 1997 3.38 5.67 35 74 9 20 
			 1998 2.68 12.79 32 92 7 19 
			 1999 2.52 10.77 32 93 4 13 
			 2000 1.58 6.29 28 121 4 15 
			 2001 4.55 4.55 29 119 4 14 
			 2002 — — 25 122 3 13 
			 2003 3.33 3.33 28 107 24 183 
			 2004 2.48 2.48 24 183 3 21 
		
	
	Note:
	Data for 2004 are provisional. No data are available for benzene for 2002. The number of sites used in the analysis varies each year as networks change. The minimum and maximum annual mean benzene figures presented in the table are the same for 2001, 2003 and 2004 because only a single site was operational for that pollutant in London during those years.
	Table 2 summarises nitrogen dioxide concentrations measured by the UK nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube network in London since 1999. Average minimum and average maximum concentrations are presented for all roadside and background locations. A detailed table showing information for the London boroughs in which the diffusion tubes are located is available from the Air Quality Archive at:
	http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/reports/reports. php?report id=309 .
	
		Table 2: Minimum and maximum annual mean nitrogen dioxide concentrations are in micrograms per metre cubed over London by year at both roadside and background locations
		
			  Minimum roadside annual mean Maximum roadside annual mean Minimum background annual mean Maximum background annual mean 
		
		
			 1999 34 80 21 64 
			 2000 29 66 22 47 
			 2001 31 87 20 42 
			 2002 28 77 16 43 
			 2003 38 101 23 67 
			 2004 31 97 19 71 
		
	
	Note:
	Data for 2004 are provisional. Data for December 2004 are not yet available.

Animal By-Products Regulation

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the other ways are in which Intermediary Plants can demonstrate compliance with the Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire of 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1558W; and how many intermediary plants in England have been licensed which demonstrate compliance with the Animals By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 in other ways.

Ben Bradshaw: The Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 requires Intermediate Plants to have a "covered space" to receive animal by-products. It also requires the plant to be constructed in such a way that it is easy to clean and disinfect, and that floors must be laid down in such a way as to facilitate the draining of liquids. The plant must also have appropriate arrangements for protection against pests, such as insects, rodents and birds.
	As stated in the answer of 12 February 2004, in our view, the combination of these requirements is such that it would be necessary for the plant to have a roof, walls and a floor before we can approve it. I am not aware of any operator who has been able to demonstrate that their plant complies in another way. However, it is open to them to propose alternative ways of complying with all of the above requirements.

Bovine Artificial Insemination

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of testing a bull for the purpose of artificial insemination is (a) in Great Britain and (b) in Northern Ireland.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The cost of testing a bull for artificial insemination in Great Britain is governed by the Artificial Insemination (Cattle and Pigs) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 1992.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Category First animal Each additional animal 
		
		
			 Approval of a bull for semen collection for domestic purposes at a domestic centre/on-farm 207 144 
			 Approval of a bull in accordance with the tests specified in Directive 88/407/EEC for semen collection at an EU centre 152 95 
		
	
	(b) The cost of testing a bull for artificial insemination in Northern Ireland is charged under the powers laid down in the Artificial Reproduction of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1975 (as amended). Domestic centres/on-farm collections are not permitted. Bulls are sampled by private veterinary practitioners with financial arrangements agreed between the bull owner and the veterinary practice concerned.
	
		
			 Category £ 
		
		
			 Approval of a bull in accordance with the tests specified in Directive 88/407/EEC for semen collection at an EU centre  
			 Fee for certificate of approval 41 
			 Charge for laboratory tests 28.82 
		
	
	All fees are currently under review as part of the exercise to update controls on the production of bovine semen.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of (a) the length of the period in cattle affected by bovine tuberculosis before overt lung lesions develop and (b) annual or six-monthly tuberculosis testing and removal of infected animals for the threat of cattle-to-cattle transmission from infected animals.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The development of disease in individual cattle is variable with no consistent timeframe for those that may go on to develop lung lesions. The period before lung lesions develop depends on factors such as the number of bacilli infecting the lung and the strength of the immune response of the animal.
	(b) The sooner infected animals are detected the less likely they are to transmit disease to direct contacts or other herds. Local prevalence of bovine TB is reviewed annually, and this is used to determine parish TB testing frequencies. Areas where disease is more established are tested more regularly and yearly testing is carried out in herds at higher risk of infection. In addition, divisional veterinary managers can increase the level of testing in their areas to reflect changes in the local TB situation.
	Testing every six months would detect some infections sooner but there would be resource restraints on such a policy. In order to target resources most effectively, only cattle herds which have recently suffered a TB breakdown are tested after a six-monthly interval.

Fisheries

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) Government and (b) EU aid was paid to the UK fishing industry in each of the last eight years for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The total amount of Government aid and EU aid paid by Fisheries Departments in the UK to the fishing industry in each of the last eight years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  UK aid EU aid 
		
		
			 1997–98 17.1 14.3 
			 1998–99 5.9 9.8 
			 1999–2000 3.5 11.0 
			 2000–01 2.1 5.6 
			 2001–02 4.3 7.6 
			 2002–03 24.2 20.7 
			 2003–04 42.5 15.0 
			 2004–05 10.7 8.7 
			 Total 110.6 92.9 
		
	
	In addition to this the Government supports the fishing industry and its communities through other schemes.

Flood Defences

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much has been spent by the Government on flood management and defence in each year since 1997; and how much was spent on (a) preventative measures and (b) repairs and restoration for damage caused by flooding incidents in each year;
	(2)  how much has been spent by the Government on coastal protection in each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: Defra has overall policy responsibility for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. Prior to April 2004 Government funding of flood risk management took the form of capital grants from Defra for improvement projects and support from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to local authorities towards the levies they paid to the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Boards. Since April 2004 Defra has funded the great majority of the flood defence work of the Environment Agency.
	Grant aid was not available from Defra for repairs and restoration for damage caused by flooding incidents. However, following the severe flooding in 2000, exceptional funding of £9 million in 2000–01 and £7 million in 2001–02 was paid to the Environment Agency in support of emergency response and repairs to defence infrastructure following flood damage.
	Total funding and grant to the operating authorities is set out in the following table. The latter includes Supplementary Credit Approval (SCA) (replaced by Supported Capital Expenditure (Revenue) from April 2004) for local authorities to fund the balance of their costs after grant.
	
		
			£ million 
			  Total Government funding(2) Defra grant and SCA for flood risk management improvement projects(3) Defra grant and SCA for coastal erosion risk management improvement projects(4) 
		
		
			 1997–98 312 (5)48.5 33.0 
			 1998–99 315 34.5 35.9 
			 1999–2000 326 34.1 33.9 
			 2000–01 328 33.6 20.4 
			 2001–02 363 57.9 20.2 
			 2002–03 407 80.0 35.0 
			 2003–04 430 80.0 40.4 
		
	
	(2) Total figure across Government, including significant support from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to local authorities to support their levies to the Environment Agency and internal drainage boards and their own spend on flood and coastal erosion risk management. Also Defra contributions to Environment Agency national initiatives such as for the National Flood and Coastal Defence Database, public awareness campaigns, development of catchment flood management plans etc.
	(3) Flood risk improvement projects (including flood warning) and related studies, tidal and coastal as well as inland. Actual investment would have been significantly higher as Defra grant formed only about 60 per cent. of the investment, the balance being made up from local authority levy funding for the Environment Agency.
	(4) Coastal erosion improvement projects and related studies; many of these provide protection against flooding from the sea as well as erosion.
	(5) Figures for grant reflect outturn of demand by operating authorities within allocation, not necessarily original provision. The original grant allocation for 1997–98 was increased significantly in year by redistribution of funds from elsewhere in the Department.

Foodstuff Importation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the measures in place to control the importation of foodstuffs;
	(2)  what the budget is in 2004–05 for the inspection and monitoring of food imports; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what inspection facilities are in place at (a) ports and (b) airports to control the importation of foodstuffs; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:
	Illegal imports
	£25 million of new money has been made available over three years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 to tackle illegal imports of products of animal origin (POAO) and plants and plant based goods (PBG) from third countries.
	HM Customs and Excise have enforcement responsibility at the frontier for illegal imports of products of animal origin (POAO) and plant based goods (PBG) from countries outside the European Union.
	Customs have over 3,500 Detection staff who have anti-smuggling responsibilities for POAO and PBG. Within this Customs has dedicated around additional 100 officers specifically to POAO and PBG; 10 POAO detector dogs are also deployed.
	Food of animal origin
	All products of animal origin imported from third countries must enter at designated Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) where they are subject to veterinary inspections to make sure they comply with EU import rules. BIPs are approved by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. There are currently BIPs at 11 ports and five airports in England that are approved to check imports of products of animal origin for human consumption. The inspection services at the BIP are the responsibility of the local authority. Officers from the State Veterinary Service regularly visit BIPs to offer advice and check on compliance with EU requirements. FVO inspectors inspect BIPs to ensure that they are operating correctly. EU law requires the local authority to recover the costs of the import checks from importers: details of budgets are not held centrally.
	If there is an outbreak of disease likely to present a risk to human or animal health, Community legislation allows us to take appropriate safeguard action, which may include a ban on imports of meat from all, or parts, of that country.
	For non-animal food
	Food imports from countries outside the European Union must meet food safety and food standards requirements equivalent to those for UK produced food, and can be subject to checks by local food authorities at UK ports and inland to ensure they comply.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for allocating local authority budgets, and funding for imported food controls would form part of the Revenue Support Grant arrangements. The Food Standards Agency has made further specific funding available through grants for local authority sampling and surveillance of imported food. In 2003–04, a total of £600 000 was allocated to 110 authorities and, in 2004–05, £840 000 to 140 authorities.
	Under the Imported Food Regulations 1997, the person importing food not of animal origin shall provide all such facilities as may be reasonably required for the examination of the food. In practice, facilities are provided by the port operators and vary according to the type of port and the nature and size of the foods imported. We have been discussing with the European Commission the possibility of sharing BIP facilities with authorities checking non-animal food goods.

Regional Bodies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government has established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of her Department.

Alun Michael: The following is from internal sources only. A full Defra wide canvass was not undertaken due to the disproportionate cost of doing so. This is correct as at 8 March 2005.
	The following regional "bodies" have been established since 1997:
	The Regional Rural Affairs Forums were set up in 2001. Members give their time voluntarily and they are asked to be objective and independent in their work. They are asked to advise both Defra and the Government Office in the region, of her views.
	Regional steering groups, were established in 2003 to provide input into the development of regional delivery plans for the Government's Farming and Food Strategy.
	The following regional "body" has been established since 1997, then disbanded:
	Regional Dialogue Panels were established and then disbanded in 2004. They were established in each English region as part of consultations on preparing the new UK Sustainable Development Strategy.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies within the remit of her Department have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:
	Executive Agencies
	There are no executive agencies which have any regional offices based on the Government Offices regional structure.
	NDPBs
	Two NDPBs have regional offices or Regional Directors based on the Government Offices regional structure, as follows:
	1. The Countryside Agency currently has regional offices based on the Government Office regional structure. These offices were established when the Agency was created in April 1999.
	2. English Nature has a sub-regional structure. It does not have regional offices as such but does have Regional Directors who have an overview of the local teams in areas which appear to be based on the GO Regions. There is no internal information as to when these Directors were established.

Wind Farms

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of birds which have been killed by wind farms in the UK in each of the last three years; and what estimate she has made of likely future numbers.

Ben Bradshaw: No systematic collection of bird mortality caused by wind farms has been undertaken in the UK in the last three years or is planned in the immediate future. Collision mortality is very difficult to assess comprehensively due to the problems experienced in carcass recovery at inaccessible sites i.e. at sea offshore or over hilly terrain.
	In the UK ornithological assessments are conducted for proposed wind farm sites as part of the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). The EIA forms part of the environmental statement submitted by wind farm developers in support of a planning application.
	Defra is producing guidance for off shore areas that will help developers to consider how to minimise any impacts on bird numbers to ensure that any that do occur are below significant levels.
	The Government's renewable energy initiatives form part of it's response to the threat of climate change, including the acknowledged likelihood that climate change is likely to lead to irreversible and accelerated losses of biodiversity.

Bird Control

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what notice she gave of her intention to alter the terms of general Licence WLF18 to include an obligation to consider appropriate non-lethal methods.

Ben Bradshaw: Between 31 March and 14 July 2004 a pre-consultation exercise was undertaken by Defra on the review of general licences to kill or take so-called "pest species" of birds. This pre-consultation, on a number of proposed changes to general licences, included reference to other satisfactory solutions, involved key interests and was also published on the Defra website. The pre-consultation document can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/bird-licence/index.htm.
	The responses to the pre-consultation were carefully considered and further discussions took place between Defra officials and organisations representing shooting and conservation interests.
	On 10 February 2005 I announced the removal of the house sparrow and starling from general licences. This was supplemented at the time by a press release and a table of proposed changes to be made to general licences. This included reference to a condition regarding the use of non-lethal alternatives.
	The press release and table can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/050210a.htm.
	On 9 March 2005 in order to clear up misunderstanding in relation to the obligation to consider appropriate non-lethal methods Defra altered the wording of the general licence condition to read,
	"This licence can only be relied on in circumstances where the authorised person is satisfied that appropriate non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable."
	A press notice was issued and the revised licences were immediately published on the Defra website. A copy of the press notice can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/050309c.htm.

Bird Control

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultation she undertook before adding to the General Licence WLF18 the obligation for the authorised person to demonstrate that appropriate non-lethal methods are ineffective or impracticable.

Ben Bradshaw: A pre-consultation exercise on the review of general licences to kill or take so-called "pest species" of birds was undertaken in the summer of 2004. This pre-consultation, on a number of proposed changes to general licences, involved key interests and was also published on the Defra website.
	The pre-consultation document can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/bird-licence/index.htm.
	The responses to the pre-consultation were carefully considered and further discussions took place between Defra officials and organisations representing shooting and conservation interests.
	On 9 March 2005 in order to clear up misunderstanding in relation to the obligation to consider appropriate non-lethal methods Defra amended the wording of the general licence condition to read,
	"This licence can only be relied on in circumstances where the authorised person is satisfied that appropriate non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable."

Bird Control

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she intends to issue to authorised persons under General Licence WLF18 on how they should assess whether non-lethal methods are ineffective or impracticable.

Ben Bradshaw: On 9 March 2005 in order to clear up misunderstanding in relation to the obligation regarding appropriate non-lethal methods Defra altered the wording of the general licence condition to read,
	"This licence can only be relied on in circumstances where the authorised person is satisfied that appropriate non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable."
	A press notice was issued and the revised licences were immediately published on the Defra website. A copy of the press notice can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/050309c.htm.

EU Export Refunds

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Answer to Question 217200 tabled by the honourable Member for Rutland and Melton, if she will list the EU export refunds for each year from 1999 to 2003, broken down by commodity; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for the reduction between 2000 and 2001.

Alun Michael: The following table sets out EU export refunds for the budget years 1999 to 2003, broken down by commodity: Expenditure (€ million)
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 (7)2003 
		
		
			 Arable crops(6) 883.1 823.6 259.8 99.3 104.0 
			 Sugar 1,592.6 1 ,438.8 1,008.2 1,151.6 1,257.0 
			 Olive oil 2.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 — 
			 Dried fodder and dried vegetables 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Textile plants 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Fruit and vegetables 40.4 46.1 50.8 46.4 38.0 
			 Wine 27.4 21.5 22.5 23.8 25.0 
			 Tobacco 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Other sectors 30.5 38.4 38.7 41.1 — 
			 Milk and milk products 1,439.4 1,671.0 1,106.5 1,159.6 1,568.0 
			 Beef/veal 594.9 661.3 362.6 386.7 534.0 
			 Sheepmeat and goatmeat 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Pigmeat, eggs and poultrymeat 385.6 348.2 115.7 104.4 177.0 
			 Non-annex 1 products 576.4 572.2 435.6 413.8 — 
			 Food programmes 0.0 24.9 0.0 5.6 — 
			 Total 5,572.8 5,646.2 3,400.6 3,432.4 3,703.0 
		
	
	(6) Cereals and rice.
	(7) Data for 2003 refers to appropriations for commitments entered in the budget for 2003.
	Sources:
	"Agriculture in the European Union" for 2000–03 and "The Agricultural Situation in the European Union" for 1999.
	For most commodities both the unit value of export refunds and the volume of subsidised exports declined between marketing years 1999–2000 and 2000–01.
	Export refunds bridge the gap, for subsidised exports, between the high EU domestic prices and the lower world price. Expenditure on export refunds may vary for a number of reasons including, principally, conditions on world and domestic markets, changes in the €/$ rate of exchange and changes in the level of domestic institutional prices.
	Changes in domestic and world market conditions are specific to individual commodities and it is therefore difficult to generalise. However, the EU-world price gap narrowed for a number of important commodities around 2001, primarily due to an increase in world prices (thus reducing the unit rate of export refund required for subsidised exports). Changes in the exchange rate have an impact across commodities: the value of the euro against the dollar declined between 1999 and 2001 thereby reinforcing the affects of the trends in world prices, in euro terms. In addition, domestic institutional prices for cereals and beef were subject to a stepped reduction, starting from 2000, under the Agenda 2000 CAP reforms.
	It is significant to note that expenditure on export refunds remains highest in the sugar and dairy sectors where the UK is pressing for further reforms.

EU LIFE Directive

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which applications to her Department for funding under the EU LIFE Directive have been (a) successful, (b) unsuccessful and (c) received but are yet to be determined; and what grants were awarded to each successful project.

Elliot Morley: The LIFE Regulation was set up by Council Regulation 1973/92/EEC in July 1992, with effect until 31 December 1995. The regulation was continued into a second phase by the adoption on 15 July 1996 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1404/96, amending the previous regulation, with effect until 31 December 1999. A third phase, up to 31 December 2004, was begun on 17 July 2000 with the adoption of Regulation (EC) No. 1655/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council. On 14 September 2004 this regulation was extended until 31 December 2006.
	The current LIFE Programme has three strands: Environment, Nature and Third Countries. LIFE Environment supports demonstration and pilot projects on methods for the protection and enhancement of the environment with particular emphasis on innovative technologies and new approaches. LIFE Nature supports the implementation of EU nature conservation policy, particularly Natura 2000. Applications from the UK are submitted through Defra to the European Commission for competitive evaluation against those from other member states. LIFE Third Countries funds technical assistance activities for capacity building in non-EU countries bordering the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas which have signed association agreements with the European Union and, therefore, the UK does not submit applications to this strand.
	Since 1992, in the UK, LIFE has contributed over €100 million towards 122 innovative demonstration projects through LIFE Environment and 38 nature conservation projects through LIFE Nature.
	Co-financing varies from around 30 per cent., where income is generated, to 50 per cent. for LIFE Environment and up to 75 per cent. for some LIFE Nature projects. On average around 50 per cent. of project costs are co-financed, meaning that the programme has generated around €200 million worth of investment in environment actions.
	The current phase of LIFE (LIFE III) has, to date, supported 36 projects in the UK with €47 million of co-financing. Fourteen LIFE Nature projects secured €26.6 million and 22 LIFE Environment projects secured €20.4 million. Annexes 1 and 2, available in the Library of the House, list the projects supported under LIFE Environment and LIFE Nature respectively.
	The following table shows, for the UK, the number of applications, number co-financed and amount of co-financing by year for both LIFE Environment and LIFE Nature under the current LIFE III programme.
	
		
			  LIFE Environment LIFE Nature 
			  Number of applications Number Co-financed Total € million of co-financing Number of applications Number Co-financed Total € million of co-financing 
		
		
			 2000 No projects funded as regulation adopted too late in the year 
			 2001 34 3 1.8 10 6 10.5 
			 2002 16 6 5.6 11 4 10.2 
			 2003 18 (8)7 7.7 3 2 2.1 
			 2004 24 6 5.3 6 2 3.8 
			 Total 92 22 20.4 30 14 26.6 
		
	
	(8) Originally nine projects were selected but two projects withdrew before funding commenced.
	In the most recent call for projects to commence in 2005, the UK submitted 26 applications to LIFE Environment and three to LIFE Nature. The list of projects to be co-financed will be known in the summer.

Greenhouse Gases

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere relative to the increase in the concentration of other greenhouse gases has been over the last 30 years; what proportion of radioactive forcing is estimated to have been due to increases in (a) carbon dioxide and (b) other greenhouse gases over the last 30 years; and what the estimated temperature rises are from each of these increases.

Elliot Morley: The increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, during the period 1970 to 2000 was approximately 13.5 per cent. During the same period methane increased by approximately 26 per cent. and nitrous oxide by 7 per cent.
	Of the radiative forcing due to man-made greenhouse gases experienced in the year 1970, about 65 per cent. was due to carbon dioxide, about 25 per cent. to methane, and about 5 per cent. to both nitrous oxide and the halocarbons. In 2000, about 60 per cent. of the radiative forcing from man-made gases was due to carbon dioxide, about 20 per cent. was due to methane, about 5 per cent. due to nitrous oxide, and the remainder due to halocarbons.
	Due to complexities in the climate response to greenhouse gases, there is no simple link between radiative forcing and temperature change. There has been a global temperature rise of 0.5C between pre-industrial times (1860) and 1990, and a further temperature rise of approximately 0.2C since 1990.

Plants (Departmental Costs)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid by her Department to external companies for (a) flowers and (b) plants in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: In the Department's regional offices, costs of plants and flowers are included under the general umbrella of "grounds maintenance" on the various facility management contracts that are in place, and are not separately identifiable. There has not been any specific planting schemes undertaken in the last five-years beyond simple replacement of dead stock under contract. In London headquarters offices there has been a trend towards the provision of artificial plants to save on ongoing maintenance costs. There are now only two locations where live plants remain with ongoing maintenance charges of £2,566 per annum since the contract commenced in April 2004.

Shooting Licences

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who was consulted by her Department prior to the publication of the orders varying the terms of a general shooting licence with respect to the shooting of pests.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 7 March 2005
	A pre-consultation exercise on the review of general licences to kill or take so-called "pest species" of birds was undertaken in the summer of 2004. This pre-consultation, on a number of proposed changes to general licences, involved key interests and was also published on the Defra website.
	The pre-consultation document can be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/bird-licence/index.htm.
	The responses to the pre-consultation were carefully considered and further discussions took place between Defra officials and organisations representing shooting and conservation interests. On 9 March 2005 in order to clear up misunderstanding in relation to the obligation regarding appropriate non-lethal methods Defra amended the wording of the general licence condition to read, "This licence can only be relied on in circumstances where the authorised person is satisfied that appropriate non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable."

Shooting Licences

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the amendments made to the open general licence for shooting of pest species.

Ben Bradshaw: Between 31 March and 14 July 2004 a pre-consultation exercise was undertaken by Defra on the review of general licences to kill or take so-called "pest species' of birds. This pre-consultation, on a number of proposed changes to general licences, included reference to other satisfactory solutions, involved key interests and was also published on the Defra website. The pre-consultation document can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/bird-licence/index. htm.
	The responses to the pre-consultation were carefully considered and further discussions took place between Defra officials and organisations representing shooting and conservation interests.
	On 10 February 2005 I announced the removal of the house sparrow and starling from general licences. This was supplemented at the time by a press release and a table of proposed changes to be made to general licences. This included reference to a condition regarding the use of non-lethal alternatives. The press release and table can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/050210a.htm.
	On 1 March 2005 the revised licences came into force.
	On 2 March 2005 Defra issued guidance to clarify the requirements regarding appropriate non-lethal methods. The information bulletin can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/050302d.htm.
	On 9 March 2005 in order to clear up misunderstanding in relation to the obligation regarding appropriate non-lethal methods Defra amended the wording of the general licence condition to read,
	"This licence can only be relied on in circumstances where the authorised person is satisfied that appropriate non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable."
	A press notice was issued, which can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/050309c.htm.
	The revised licences can be accessed via the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/gen-licence.htm.

Education

James Plaskitt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on spending plans for education.

Paul Boateng: The Government regularly receives representations on spending plans for education.
	This Government are taking forward a programme of high investment in education and skills. From being £36 billion in 1996–07, the education and skills budget for the UK stands at £63 billion in 2004–05, and is set to rise to £76 billion by 2007–08.

Tax Compliance

Edward Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue's revised compliance strategy and supporting performance measures, will be published; and what assessment he has made of consequent improvements in taxpayer compliance and tax yield.

Dawn Primarolo: Work on the Inland Revenue compliance strategy has been subsumed into work on a strategy for HM Revenue and Customs the new organisation that will integrate direct and indirect taxes. Public Sector Agreement targets for HMRC are available on the Inland Revenue website at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/psa/ind05 08.htm.

Car Parking

Christopher Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out the terms of reference of the research study being carried out by his Department into car parking provision consistent with policies on sustainable residential environments; when the research project began; and when he expects it to be concluded.

Keith Hill: Consultants were commissioned in October 2003 to carry out this research study. The terms of reference are contained within the "Specification of Requirements: Car Parking Standards and Sustainable Residential Environments", which has been made available in the Library of the House. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plans to publish the research study in the summer.

English Partnerships

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will require English Partnerships to ensure that social rented housing is included on the long-term derelict site chosen as part of its pilot hardcore brownfield programme.

Keith Hill: The purpose of the National Brownfield Strategy is to engage with local communities and businesses in the 14 local authorities taking part in the pilot programme to identify sites that are of greatest concern in those areas. All sites brought forward in this way will be assessed to understand the barriers to re-use of the sites and to identify development opportunities for both "hard" (e.g. housing, employment) and "soft" (e.g. public space, leisure) end uses.
	Once a shortlist of sites has been identified in each pilot project area, they will be evaluated and feasibility studies undertaken. In each case work will be led by a "local brownfield partnership" with representatives from the local authority, English Partnerships, the Regional Development Agency, development industry and local business and community groups.
	The aims will be to develop at least one long-term brownfield site in each area with funding being acquired through private sector investment. It will be for the local brownfield partnership, in consultation, to agree the objectives for the sites within their areas which may or may not include an housing element.
	English Partnerships takes account of local strategies and consults the local authority and local community with regard to its projects including local housing need.

London Safety Plan

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many responses were received to the public consultation exercise by the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority on the Draft London Safety Plan (a) supporting and (b) opposing the proposals in the Draft Plan.

Nick Raynsford: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 7 March 2005, Official Report, column 1550W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore).

Relief Initiatives (HIPC)

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures he is taking to address poverty in heavily indebted poor countries in conflict.

Hilary Benn: There are seven countries affected by conflict that could potentially qualify for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Last year, the UK was at the forefront of efforts to extend the Sunset Clause of the HIPC Initiative beyond December 2004, thus extending the initiative for a further two years. This could allow these remaining conflict affected HIPC countries to benefit from HIPC debt relief, once they have met the criteria required to qualify. In addition, the UK has announced that it will hold in trust any debt service payments received from these countries and this money will be returned for spending on poverty reduction once they qualify for the initiative.
	In January 2005, DFID set out in its publication "Why we need to work more effectively in fragile states," how it will tackle the challenges of poverty in difficult environments. This included reviewing the way aid is allocated to fragile states; joining with other Government Departments to ensure our policies are coherent; doing more regional programming; getting the balance right between humanitarian and development aid and staying engaged over a longer timeframe (five to 10 years). Copies of this publication have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It can also be accessed at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs.
	DFID is actively involved in supporting conflict resolution initiatives, through among other things the Global and Africa Conflict Prevention Pools, as well as delivering humanitarian aid in conflict situations. DFID is funding operations as well as building the capacity of organisations working on reducing conflict in conflict affected countries, including the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank and the African Union and several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). DFID is directly supporting programmes that address insecurity—a barrier to poverty reduction—through our Security Sector Reforms and Small Arms Strategies, and support to Disarming, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programmes in conflict affected countries.

Relief Initiatives (HIPC)

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to use the UK's presidency of the EU to press for 70 per cent. of the EU's aid budget to be given to low income countries.

Hilary Benn: DFID has a Public Service Agreement target of increasing the proportion of EC Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to low-income countries from its 2000 baseline of 38 per cent., to 70 per cent. by 2008. By 2003, the figure had reached 56 per cent.
	It is not clear if any major decisions related to allocation of EC ODA will need to be taken during the UK Presidency. But we will work with our partners, this year and beyond, to ensure that the EU provides the leadership and the quantity and quality of aid needed to tackle global poverty. This includes increasing the amount of EC aid committed to and spent in low-income countries.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 20 December 2004, reference M130/5.

Des Browne: holding answer 24 February 2005
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 9 March.

Burglary (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries were committed in Hartlepool in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to the Hartlepool Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area and is given in the tables. Statistics at CDRP level are only available from 1999–2000 onwards and only burglary in a dwelling figures are available for 1999–2000 to 2001–02.
	
		Table 1: Offences of burglary recorded by the police in the Hartlepool Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, 1999–2000 to 2001–02 Number of offences
		
			  Burglary in a dwelling Burglary other Total burglary 
		
		
			 1999–2000 1,484 n/a n/a 
			 2000–01 1,409 n/a n/a 
			 2001–02 1,294 n/a n/a 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Offences of burglary recorded by the police in the Hartlepool Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, 2002–03 and 2003–04 Number of offences
		
			  Burglary in a dwelling Burglary other Total burglary 
		
		
			 2002/03 1,488 1,230 2,718 
			 2003/04 1,276 1,195 2,471 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Arts Council England

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the administration costs of the Arts Council England were in each year between 1997–98 and 2003–04, broken down by (a) staff costs and (b) non-staff costs; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The following figures provided by Arts Council England provide a breakdown of the information requested.
	
		
			£ 
			  Staff costs Staff costs (including creative partnerships programme) Non staff costs(12) 
		
		
			 1997–98 15,774,030 15,774,030 21,310,051 
			 1998–99 16,646,015 16,646,015 20,155,506 
			 1999–2000 17,472,477 17,472,477 20,263,578 
			 2000–01 20,273,618 20,273,618 20,328,583 
			 2001–02 21,517,000 21,517,000 21,140,000 
			 2002–03 23,418,000 24,578,000 21,974,000 
			 2003–04 22,356,000 25,061,000 19,909,000 
		
	
	
		
			£ 
			  Non staff costs(12) (including creative partnerships programme) Total administration costs Total administration costs (including creative partnerships programme) 
		
		
			 1997–98 21,310,051 37,084,081 37,084,081 
			 1998–99 20,155,506 36,801,521 36,801,521 
			 1999–2000 20,263,578 37,736,055 37,736,055 
			 2000–01 20,328,583 40,602,201 40,602,201 
			 2001–02 21,140,000 42,657,000 42,657,000 
			 2002–03 22,818,000 45,392,000 47,396,000 
			 2003–04 21,725,000 42,265,000 46,786,000 
		
	
	(12) Note that 1997–98 to 2000–01 figures have been adjusted to remove inter-company transactions with the Regional Arts Boards to prevent double counting of costs. Exceptional items have been excluded.

Alcohol

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with the Office of Fair Trading on minimum pricing as a means of tackling alcohol misuse.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In the context of considering the options for tackling problems associated with excessive consumption of alcohol, both the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and my Department have provided advice to the Home Office on relevant aspects of domestic and European competition law. OFT and DTI officials have been involved in a number of relevant discussions, including on the particular issue of minimum pricing schemes. The Home Office's proposals on these matters were also raised briefly during a regular meeting between the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Board of the OFT that took place in mid-January The Home Office launched its public consultation document "Drinking Responsibly" on 25 January 2005

Economic Partnership Agreements

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to ensure the economic partnership agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries give appropriate priority to development in those countries; and what representations she has made to the European Commission on the subject.

Douglas Alexander: As set out in the White Paper "Making Globalisation a force for good", the Government are clear that the focus of the economic partnership agreements must broad-based, focusing not just on trade but also on political co-operation, technical assistance and trade-related capacity building, and be truly development-focused. The EU has stated that it has no offensive market access interests in negotiating economic partnership agreements, and the UK will seek to hold our EU partners to this. Ministers and officials are in regular contact with the Commission to discuss various aspects of the agreements and we are commissioning research into aspects of the negotiations to inform the policies of the European Commission and ACP countries.

Emissions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the competitiveness of British industry in comparison to its European competitors.

Mike O'Brien: The Department published in 2004 an assessment of the implications of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for the competitiveness of British industry. The paper is available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/euetsimpli cations.pdf.
	The Department also commissioned Ilex Energy Consulting in 2004 to produce a report on the impact on electricity prices across EU countries as a result of the ETS. This report is a available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/ilexetsfinal.pdf.

Fuel Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent progress has been made towards reducing fuel poverty in the West Midlands.

Mike O'Brien: The number of fuel poor households in the West Midlands fell from over 500,000 in 1996 to around 200,000 in 2001. This mirrors the overall fall in the number of fuel poor households in the UK, a figure which has fallen from about 5½ million in 1996 to about 2¼ million in 2002. Regional breakdowns are not available for 2002.

National Radiological Protection Board Report

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the National Radiological Protection Board Report W62;
	(2)  if she will instigate a formal measurement audit of the 2,000 base stations omitted from National Radiological Protection Board Report W62.

Mike O'Brien: The project "Exposure of the General Public to Radio Waves near Microcell and Picocell Base Stations . . . " was carried out under the auspices of the LINK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR) Programme (see www.mthr.org.uk). The project was designed to establish the best methodology for undertaking such measurements and was not a part of a national measurement audit. The project considered those sites with the accepted characteristics of microcell and picocell base stations. Of the 3,000 sites that fall into this category, 20 sites were randomly selected for survey. The study found that exposures at all sites surveyed were well below the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) levels (the highest level recorded was 8.6 per cent. of the ICNIRP public reference level). The study demonstrated a viable measurement protocol.
	The DTI have no plans to instigate a formal measurement audit of micro and picocell base stations. Microcell and picocell installations may be measured under the Ofcom measurement audit programme see: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consumer guides/mob phone base stat/audit info?a=87101.

Vehicle Pricing

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 10 February 2005, Official Report, columns 1801–02W, on vehicle pricing, what steps she is taking to encourage competition in the car industry as a means of bringing prices of new cars in line with the EU.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am not aware of any pressing need to take further steps to encourage more competition in the car industry at present.
	It is too soon for the competition authorities to be able to assess the full effects of the recent changes to competition rules as they apply specifically to this sector. The "location clause" of the revised block exemption regulation which will permit car retailers to open additional sales outlets in any part of the EU does not come into force until 1 October this year. It is for car manufacturers to ensure that their agreements with franchised dealers do not contain restrictions of the type outlawed under competition law, and for the competition authorities to enforce the regime.

A2-levels

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many entrants graded A and B at A2 level in (a) French, (b) German and (c) Spanish were from (i) independent, (ii) grammar and (iii) maintained schools in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004; and what percentage of each cohort this was in each case.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested on the number of 16–18 year old students achieving As or Bs in French, German and Spanish by school type is given in the following table.
	
		
			  2003 2004 
			  Independent Grammar Comprehensive Independent Grammar Comprehensive 
		
		
			 Number achieving A/B in French 3,060 1,043 2,127 2,989 1,075 2,145 
			 As a percentage of: 73.7 63.2 46.3 74.9 67.6 47.9 
			 French candidates   
			 Total candidates 8.6 5.5 2.0 8.2 5.5 2.0 
			
			 Number achieving A/B in German 1,285 474 1,054 1,181 527 950 
			 As a percentage of:   
			 German candidates 77.2 56.8 43.8 77.6 64.4 43.7 
			 Total candidates 3.6 2.5 1.0 3.3 2.7 0.9 
			
			 Number achieving A/B in Spanish 1,369 241 602 1,388 330 640 
			 As a percentage of:   
			 Spanish candidates 78.1 55.9 47.2 78.2 65.0 48.4 
			 Total candidates 3.9 1.3 0.6 3.8 1.7 0.6

Alcohol-related Deaths

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government are taking to reduce the number of deaths for which alcohol is the primary cause.

Melanie Johnson: The policies set out in the alcohol harm reduction strategy for England seek to reduce harm caused by alcohol, thus, contributing to a reduction in the number of deaths for which alcohol is the primary cause.
	In addition, the White Paper, "Choosing Health", published on 16 November 2004 highlighted that the Government will build on commitments within the alcohol harm reduction strategy for England through:
	Guidance and training to ensure all health professionals are able to identify alcohol problems early.
	Piloting approaches to targeted screening and brief interventions in both primary care and hospital settings, including accident and emergency departments.
	Developing a programme for improvement for alcohol treatment services based on the findings of an audit of demand for and provision of alcohol treatment in England and the models of care framework for alcohol treatment.

Dentistry

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers to questions of 23 February 2005, Official Report, column 682W, how many dentists in Kent have closed their lists to NHS patients during the last 12 months; and how many dentists have opened their lists to NHS patients during the same period.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 1 March 2005
	The great majority of dental practices treat both private and national health service patients. The Office of Fair Trading report, "The private dentistry market in the UK", published in March 2003, estimated that out of 11,000 dental practices about 210 are totally private, treating no NHS patients. The information available relates to the general dental service practices in Kent that, at 15 February, were accepting at least one category of NHS patient for registration:
	50 practices are registering charge exempt adults for NHS treatment,
	31 practices that are registering charge paying adults for NHS treatment,
	91 practices that are registering children aged 0–18 years for NHS treatment.
	In addition, in the last 12 months, eight practices in Kent have moved to the personal dental services scheme, whereby they contract with their primary care trusts to undertake a specific amount of NHS treatment.

Doctor Retention

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of doctors who trained in England continued to work in the national health service for five years in the last period for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The latest information available is shown in the table. It relates to doctors who graduated in 1996 and who were working in the national health service five years later, in 2001.
	
		United Kingdom medical graduates working in the NHS five years after graduation1,2
		
			  Number/percentage 
		
		
			 Respondents working in NHS 2,349 
			 Respondents not working in NHS 337 
			 Total 2,686 
			   
			 Percentage working in NHS 87.5 
		
	
	(15) Year of graduation 1996.
	(16) Five year period ending 2001.
	Source:
	UK medical careers research group, Oxford University.

Insect-borne Diseases

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatment protocols are available to NHS patients suffering from (a) insect-borne diseases and (b) Lyme disease; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Advice to doctors about the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is readily available on the Health Protection Agency (HPA) website at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics az/zoonoses/lyme borreliosis/fag.htm.
	Guidance on treatment and prevention of other insect borne infections such as malaria and West Nile virus can be found on a number of websites, including the HPA's at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics az/list.htm.

Mental Health

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on links between drug abuse and mental health.

Melanie Johnson: The Department recognises that there is a wide range of links and associations between substance abuse and mental health disorders. In order to improve the evidence within England, we commissioned a review of research literature, and the development of an information manual for practitioners from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which were published in 2001.
	As part of the Department's drug misuse policy research initiative, which funded £2.4 million research between 2000 and 2003, we funded five studies to improve the evidence within England that related to substance abuse and mental health problems.
	Guidance commissioned by the Department, "Dangerousness of Drugs—a Guide to the Risks and Harms associated with Substance Misuse", published in September 2003, describes the various health consequences of abusing drugs, including the mental health implications.
	Although we have not commissioned any further specific research into the links between substance abuse and mental health, the Department continues to monitor research in this area, and has a range of expert advisors to inform policy.

Patients' Information

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that there is good communication between healthcare professionals and their patients, with particular reference to the information patients receive on (a) tests, (b) medication and (c) advice on the matters they should be aware of following discharge from an out-patient or accident and emergency department.

Rosie Winterton: In December 2004, the Department published "Better Information, better choices, better health". This is a three year programme of action, at both national and local level, designed to improve equitable access to the quality information people need and want about their personal health and healthcare. The strategy places an emphasis on enhancing the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients through supporting the dialogues within consultations. It also sets out to build further national resources and ensure that patients receive good quality information at all stages of treatment, from diagnosis to discharge.
	Copies of the document have been placed in the Library.

Residential Care (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential, (b) nursing and (c) elderly mentally infirm (i) homes and (ii) places were available in London in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (A) local authority, (B) private sector and (C) charity and voluntary providers; and what percentage of capacity in each sector was used in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: Tables 1 and 2 show the number of residential and nursing homes and places in London at 31 March for the years 1993 to 2001 by sector. Tables 3 and 4 show the number of homes and places in care homes for elderly mentally infirm people. Data is not available for the percentage of capacity used each year.
	I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.
	
		Table 1: Number of care homes in London, by type of accommodation: 31 March 1993–2001
		
			  Residential homes Nursing homes(17) 
			  Local authority Voluntary Private Small 2 Independent 
		
		
			 1993 390 580 490 n/a 330 
			 1994 360 580 510 370 400 
			 1995 350 610 530 490 400 
			 1996 350 640 540 570 350 
			 1997 300 730 590 600 370 
			 1998 300 710 610 640 520 
			 1999 270 740 600 630 550 
			 2000 270 740 590 630 550 
			 2001 240 750 560 690 550 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	(17) Includes dual registered homes.
	(18) Independent registered care homes with less than four places; required to register from 1 April 1993.
	Sources:
	Department of Health forms RA part A, RAC5, KO36 and RH(N) part A.
	
		Table 2: Number of care home places in London, by type of accommodation: 31 March 1993–2001
		
			  Residential homes Nursing homes(19) 
			  Local authority Voluntary Private Small 2 Dual registered 3 Independent 
		
		
			 1993 11,830 9,410 7,910 n/a 1,020 11,310 
			 1994 10,870 9,030 8,080 900 1,300 12,540 
			 1995 9,980 9,250 8,310 1,200 1,180 12,720 
			 1996 9,470 9,230 8,460 1,390 1,280 10,690 
			 1997 8,170 9,960 9,390 1,490 960 12,390 
			 1998 7,740 9,620 9,530 1,660 1,650 17,750 
			 1999 6,690 10,010 9,360 1,550 1,900 18,260 
			 2000 6,350 10,460 9,310 1,520 2,490 18,290 
			 2001 5,410 10,640 9,160 1,700 2,440 18,080 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	(19) Includes nursing places in dual registered homes.
	(20) Independent registered care homes with less than four places; required to register from 1 April 1993.
	(21) Residential places in dual registered homes.
	Sources:
	Department of Health forms RA part A, RAC5, KO36 and RH(N) part A.
	
		Table 3: Number of elderly mentally infirm(22) homes in London, by type of accommodation: 31 March 1993–2001
		
			  Dual 
			  Local authority Voluntary Private Dual registered 2 Small 3 Nursing 
		
		
			 1993 10 (25)— 20 0 n/a n/a 
			 1994 10 (25)— 10 0 n/a n/a 
			 1995 10 (25)— 10 0 n/a n/a 
			 1996 20 (25)— 10 0 n/a n/a 
			 1997 20 10 20 10 30 n/a 
			 1998 20 30 50 10 20 n/a 
			 1999 10 20 20 (25)— 20 n/a 
			 2000 20 10 30 10 10 n/a 
			 2001 10 10 30 10 40 n/a 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	(22) Homes that cater primarily for elderly mentally infirm people.
	(23) Homes that have registered for both residential and nursing care.
	(24) Independent registered care homes with less than four places; required to register from 1 April 1993.
	4 Five or less.
	Sources:
	Department of Health forms RA part A and RAC5.
	
		Table 4: Number of elderly mentally infirm(25) home places in London, by type of accommodation: 31 March 1993–2001
		
			  Dual 
			  Local authority Voluntary Private Dual registered 2 Small 3 Nursing 
		
		
			 1993 410 90 360 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1994 400 70 280 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1995 400 120 270 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1996 430 140 290 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1997 690 280 390 150 100 n/a 
			 1998 620 880 890 190 60 n/a 
			 1999 440 430 560 110 40 n/a 
			 2000 560 310 630 260 40 n/a 
			 2001 530 270 670 270 110 n/a 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	(25) Homes that cater primarily for elderly mentally infirm people.
	(26) Residential places in homes registered for both residential and nursing care.
	(27) Independent registered care homes with less than four places; required to register from 1 April 1993.
	Sources:
	Department of Health forms RA part A and RAC5.

Saneline

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the contribution of Saneline to the provision of support and advice to mentally ill people and their families; what assessment he has made of the impact of any reduction in Saneline's activities as a result of funding shortfall; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: pursuant to the reply, 7 February 2005, Official Report, c.1340–41W
	I regret my previous reply was incorrect.
	The third sentence in the first paragraph should read as follows:
	"At present, Saneline is operating two of its three call centres without a reduction in service level."

Sudan 1

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Food Standards Agency has made to ensure that concerns about food which may contain Sudan 1 have been adequately disseminated to (i) local authority trading standards departments, (ii) environmental health departments, (iii) food retailers and (iv) caterers;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of whether all food products containing Sudan 1 have been identified;
	(3)  what action his Department has taken (a) to inform the public of the risks involved in consumption of products known to contain Sudan 1 dye and (b) to ensure that products are withdrawn from retail and catering outlets promptly;
	(4)  what estimate his Department has made of the amount of food containing Sudan 1 dye which has not been withdrawn from retail and catering outlets.
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the longer term consequences of the Sudan 1 incident, in relation to his Department's responsibilities for the overseeing of food production and processing.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised me that full information has been made available on its website of foods known to be contaminated with Sudan 1, and that this was provided to a number of stakeholder organisations to distribute to their members. In addition, the FSA has asked all local authorities to contact food businesses in their area to ensure the recall has been effective.
	In addition the FSA has held a number of meetings with stakeholders, including retailers, caterers and other trade associations.
	The FSA is working with manufacturers and local authorities to ensure that all foods known to be contaminated with Sudan 1 are removed from sale and information has been provided to consumers on these products. Since 1 January 2005 all food businesses are legally required to have in place systems to allow full traceability of ingredients and products.
	The FSA estimates that the majority of foods known to be contaminated with Sudan 1 have been withdrawn. The FSA is working with food companies and local authorities to verify that the recall has been fully effective.
	The FSA has responsibility for overseeing the safety of food in the United Kingdom. The FSA will be conducting a thorough and robust review of the incident which will be published.

Transsexuals

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether transsexualism is classed as a mental disorder for the purposes of sections 1 and 3 of the National Health Service Act 1977.

Rosie Winterton: Sections 1 and 3 of the NHS Act 1977 do not refer directly to "mental disorder", but do require the Secretary of State to provide a health service to secure improvement in physical and mental health and to prevent, diagnose and treat "illness". "Illness" is defined by section 128 of the Act as including "mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983".
	Transsexualism is defined in the International Classification of Diseases—tenth edition (ICD-10)—as a mental disorder and it is therefore likely that it would be regarded as a mental disorder for the purposes of the 1983 Act.
	The ICD-10 classification reads as follows:
	"F64.0 Transsexualism
	A desire to live and be accepted as a member of the opposite sex, usually accompanied by a sense of discomfort with, or inappropriateness of, one's anatomic sex, and a wish to have surgery and hormonal treatment to make one's body as congruent as possible with one's preferred sex."
	Guidance on gender dysphoria was included in the national definitions set for specialised services, which suggests that primary care trusts should commission such services collectively. Specialised services for mental health, including services for people with gender dysphoria, are being reviewed by the national director for mental health, Professor Louis Appleby, and a report is due in May.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to achieve the objectives established by Ministers for operations and military tasks in which the United Kingdom's armed forces are involved, including those providing support to our civil communities;
	(2)  what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to improve effectiveness of the UK contribution to conflict prevention and management as demonstrated by a reduction in the number of people whose lives are affected by violent conflict and a reduction in potential sources of future conflict;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target to deliver improved effectiveness of UK and international support for conflict prevention by 2008, will be met;
	(4)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target to ensure that a minimum of 90 per cent. of high readiness forces are at their required states of readiness with no critical weakness by 2006, will be met;
	(5)  whether the Public Service Agreement target for the Royal Navy and the RAF to achieve manning balance by 2004, was met;
	(6)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target for the Army to achieve manning balance by 2005, will be met;
	(7)  what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to strengthen European security through an enlarged and modernised NATO, an effective EU military crisis management capacity and enhanced European defence capabilities;
	(8)  what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to develop and deliver to time and cost targets military capability for the future, including battle-winning technology, equipment and systems, matched to the changing strategic environment;
	(9)  what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to play a leading role in the development of the European Security Agenda;
	(10)  what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to increase value for money by making improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the key processes for delivering military capability;
	(11)  whether the Public Service Agreement target to make year-on-year output efficiency gains of 2.5 per cent., was met in 2003–04;
	(12)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target to make year-on-year output efficiency gains of 2.5 per cent., will be met in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06;
	(13)  what recent progress has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to make a 20 per cent. output efficiency gain in the Defence Logistics Organisation.

Adam Ingram: Details of the MOD's performance against its Public Service Agreement targets are published every quarter on the Treasury and MOD websites. The MOD's most recent report, covering performance against PSA targets for the third quarter of 2004–05 (October to December 2004), was published on www.mod.uk on 1 March 2005. Further information on the MOD's performance against SR2002 PSA targets can be found in the "Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2003–04," available in the Library of the House and on www.mod.uk.

Trident

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether arrangements are in place for the transfer of command and control functions for the Trident nuclear system to (a) the Australian Government and (b) the US Administration in the event of a nuclear attack on the UK which leads to (i) loss of communication with and (ii) the destruction of the UK Government.

Geoff Hoon: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear in the answer he gave on 28 January 2003, Official Report, column 774W, to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Marsden), the use of the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons may be ordered only by the Prime Minister. It would not be in the interests of national security to comment further on command and control arrangements for the nuclear deterrent.

Cocaine (South America)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the level of production of cocaine in each of the past 10 years in (a) Colombia, (b) Peru, (c) Bolivia and (d) the rest of South America.

Bill Rammell: In its 2004 World Drug Report, the United Nations office on drugs and crime listed the following figures for potential cocaine manufacture.
	
		Metric tonnes
		
			  Bolivia Columbia Peru 
		
		
			 1993 240 119 410 
			 1994 255 201 435 
			 1995 240 230 460 
			 1996 215 300 435 
			 1997 200 350 325 
			 1998 150 435 240 
			 1999 70 680 175 
			 2000 43 69 141 
			 2001 60 617 150 
			 2002 60 580 160 
			 2003 60 440 155 
		
	
	These figures are based on the amount of cocaine that can be produced from coca leaf grown in the country concerned.
	Some coca cultivation has also been reported in Brazil, Panama and Venezuela, but it is thought to be relatively insignificant in comparison with the volumes produced in the Andean countries.

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of sales of surplus assets from his Department was in each year since 2000–01.

Bill Rammell: Sales of fixed assets per the resource accounts were as follows:
	
		
			  £ Proceeds 
		
		
			 2000–01 19,236,000 
			 2001–02 40,015,000 
			 2002–03 13,437,000 
			 2003–04 26,875,000

EU Rapid Reaction Civil Emergency Force

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with EU Governments regarding (A) the provision of a rapid reaction civil emergency force within the EU and (B) co-ordination measures needed to facilitate civil emergency planning; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Preliminary discussions on better co-ordination of resources within the EU to deal with emergencies and the outline of an Action Plan were discussed at an extra-ordinary meeting of the Council on 7 January. A detailed Action Plan was adopted at the meeting of the Council on 31 January. The Action Plan asks the Institutions of the European Union and the member states to discuss improvements to existing instruments for providing assistance in emergencies, including better co-ordination, and to discuss the setting up of a European rapid response capability including its relationship with the existing civil protection mechanism and EU humanitarian aid. The UK has, along with other member states, contributed ideas on how the EU might further improve its co-ordination of disaster response. These ideas have been discussed at various levels in the Council and its working groups, and between Capitals. The European Commission and Javier Solana are considering the ideas put forward and producing options papers for consideration and discussion by member states.

Asbestos (Trains)

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what part was played by the Department in the processing of train carriages containing asbestos in the Crosshill Quarry Site between November 2003 and June 2004; what method of processing was used; on what dates; and whether the Department has assessed the extent to which statutory obligations were adhered to by the asbestos processing company.

Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment played no part in the repositioning of the carriages at Crosshill. I understand that this work commenced before 19 December 2003 when the regulatory powers for waste management transferred from district councils to the Department's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS).
	I understand that the original method of moving the carriages was modified as they were too heavy to be removed in one piece. The carriages were removed by cutting them into three sections using large mechanical shears. The work was undertaken by an operator trained in asbestos removal, who did not observe any asbestos when the work was being carried out.
	The site was inspected by my waste management officials on 13 February 2004 and they saw no evidence of railway carriages or asbestos waste, findings reinforced by photographic and documentary evidence on file. The site is also subject to regulation by EHS under the terms of the Water (NI) Order 1999. In the course of a regulatory site visit on 24 February 2004, EHS Water Management officials noted "that no carriages were visible".
	In addition, EHS has undertaken independent water quality and soil sampling tests at the site and concluded that there has been no breach of the water order consent nor evidence of contravention of waste licensing controls. The Department therefore has no grounds to take action against the company.
	EHS will continue to monitor the Crosshill site for the presence of asbestos to ensure full compliance with the water order consent. Independent air quality monitoring will be a condition of any subsequent waste licence or permit application.

Mobile Phones

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of staff mobile phone bills was in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: The cost of staff mobile phone bills to the Northern Ireland Office (excluding its agencies and NDPBs) since 1997 were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Cost of staff mobile phone bills 
		
		
			 1997–98 74,791 
			 1998–99 102,673 
			 1999–2000 100,245 
			 2000–01 100,087 
			 2001–02 90,538 
			 2002–03 113,697 
			 2003–04 129,203

Student Support

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent change there has been in the provision of financial support through the education and library boards to students undertaking postgraduate diplomas at universities in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Department for Employment and Learning has announced that funding for discretionary awards for postgraduate diplomas will be discontinued from the 2005–06 academic year. At the same time, however, stipends for students on higher level postgraduate courses, masters and PhDs have increased from £9,000 pa in 2003–04 to £12,000 proposed for 2005–06, in line with the recommendations of the Government's Science, Engineering and Technology Strategy, "Investing in Innovation".

Psychiatry

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) admissions and (b) bed days resulting from admissions of young people under the age of 18 years who were admitted to adult psychiatric wards there have been in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: pursuant to the reply, 13 January 2005, Official Report, c. 657W
	The figure given for (b) number of bed days in 2003–04 was incorrect. The correct information is as follows:
	The number of (a) admissions and (b) bed days resulting from those admissions of young people under the age of 18 years who were admitted to adult psychiatric wards in the Province in each of the last five years is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  (a) Admissions (b) Number of bed days 
		
		
			 2003–04 173 5,097 
			 2002–03 194 5,401 
			 2001–02 183 6,346 
			 2000–01 198 6,551 
			 1999–2000 196 7,522 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures relate to financial years except for one trust who provided figures for calendar years and for 2004 to 30 November.
	2. If a patient was admitted in one year and their episode carried into the next year the number of bed days are attributed to the year in which the admission took place and the admission is only counted once in the year it occurred.
	3. If a patient is admitted when aged less than 18 years and the patient turns 18 years of age during their episode, bed days after the patient turns 18 years of age are included in total length of stay.
	4. Where possible the number of bed days was calculated excluding days on leave, however one trust was unable to exclude days on leave from their figures.
	5. Figures include patients admitted to psychiatric wards in Muckamore Abbey hospital, which normally caters for learning disabled patients.
	Source:
	HSS trusts

Sewerage

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what methodology was used to form the equality impact assessment's view that (a) Protestants and (b) Unionists are likely to bear a disproportionately greater burden of the domestic and sewerage bill under the Government Reform of Water and Sewerage Services; by what percentage he estimates they will be disproportionately affected; and by how much he estimates this would affect the income of the average family in the course of a year, based on each broad policy option.

John Spellar: A spatial analysis methodology was used in the recently published draft Integrated Impact Assessment to assess the equality impact of proposals for domestic charging under the reform of water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland. Analysis of impacts in respect of religious belief was performed at electoral ward level using "community background" data from the 2001 census. Analysis of impacts in respect of political opinion was performed at district council level using Electoral Office data based on first preference votes at the 2001 local elections. These data were combined with information regarding recent house sales from the Valuation and Lands Agency. The conclusion that Protestants and Unionists are likely to bear a disproportionately greater burden of domestic water and sewerage charges reflects the fact that there is a markedly higher representation of these groups in those areas of Northern Ireland with higher domestic property prices.
	This methodology allows broad assessments to be made, however data are not available on individual properties to enable calculations to be made of the likely average water and sewerage charge for Protestant and Unionist households. Accordingly, it is not possible to estimate the percentage by which Protestant and Unionist households may be disproportionately affected, nor by how much in relation to the average family income for each broad policy option.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the (i) Committee for the Implementation of the Action Programme to Tackle Discrimination and (ii) Restricted Committee of the Safety and Health Commission for the Mining and Other Extractive Industries met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The EU Committee for Implementation of the Action Programme to Promote Gender Equality meets twice a year in Brussels. The last three meetings were held on 11 November 2003 (during the Italian presidency), 20 July 2004 and 15 October 2004 (both of which were in the Dutch presidency). There was no meeting during the Irish presidency. An official from DTI attended the last two meetings in 2004.
	The Restricted Committee of the Safety and Health Commission for the Mining and Other Extractive Industries met once, in Luxembourg on 3 December 2003, during the Italian presidency of the EU. The Committee did not meet during the Irish and Dutch presidencies. A member of the Health and Safety Executive represented the UK Government at the 3 December 2003 meeting.
	There have been three Command Papers produced on prospects for the European Union which include highlights from the presidencies in question—Cm6174 laid in April 2004, Cm6310 laid in September 2004 and Cm6450 laid in February 2005. They are available in the Library and on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers.

European Agency for Health and Safety at Work

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the activity of the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work in the UK in the last 12 months; and if he will list its publications and newsletters published over that period.

Jane Kennedy: The activities of European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in the UK are carried out by the Health and Safety Executive, acting as the Agency's Focal Point.
	The HSE maintains the UK Focal Point website, which provides information on health and safety topics and links to other relevant organisations.
	In the last 12 months, the UK Focal Point coordinated the national activities for the European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2004. This included, for example, distributing the Agency's Euro Week publications and selecting a UK nominee for the Agency's Good Practice Awards.
	List of European Agency publications over the period:
	2003 annual report: "Providing the insights for a safer and more productive working environment in Europe"
	A summary of the 2003 annual report
	CD ROM: "Agency information 2002/2003"
	European Agency Magazine, issue 7: "Actions to improve safety and health in construction"
	European Agency Work Programme for 2005
	Rolling Work Programme for 2005–2008
	Information reports:
	Issue 107: "SME Funding Scheme 2002–2003"
	Issue 108: "Prevention of risks in construction in practice"
	Issue 210: "Corporate social responsibility and safety and health at work"
	Issue 211: "Quality of the working environment and productivity"
	Issue 313: "Mainstreaming occupational safety and health into education"
	Issue 314: "Achieving better safety and health in construction"
	Forums:
	Issue 11: "Monitoring occupational safety and health in the European Union"
	Issue 12: "Working with dangerous substances: The European policy challenge"
	Factsheets:
	No. 48: "Health and safety on small construction sites"
	No. 49: "Safe roofwork"
	No. 50: "Management of noise in construction"
	No. 51: "Asbestos in construction"
	No. 52: "Mainstreaming occupational safety and health into education"
	No. 53: "Ensuring the health and safety of workers with disabilities"
	No. 54: "Corporate social responsibility and occupational safety and health"
	No. 55: "Achieving better safety and health in construction"
	Bilbao Declaration—'Building in Safety'
	European Week poster: "Building in Safety"
	European Week leaflet: "Counting down to the European Week for Safety and Health at Work"
	European Week Flier: "Good Practice Awards 2004—call for nominations"
	There were no newsletters published by the Agency during this period.

Unemployment Programme

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on programmes to help the unemployed move back to work in each year since 1997; if he will list the programmes involved, specifying the amounts spent on each programme in each year since 1997; and what percentage of each amount was spent in Scotland.

Jane Kennedy: The available information is in the tables.
	
		Expenditure on labour market programmes for the unemployed
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 
			  Total spend Spend in Scotland 1 Total spend Spend in Scotland 1 
			 Programme(34) £ million3, 4 £ million3, 4 Percentage £ million3, 4 £ million3,4 Percentage 
		
		
			 New Deal for 18–25+ 12 0 0 179 10 6 
			 Work Based Learning for Adults(37) 382 0 0 264 0 0 
			 Project Work 41 0 0 8 0 0 
			 Jobsearch Provision(38) 39 3 9 30 3 11 
			 Employment Zones 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Others(39) 21 0 1 13 0 2 
			 Total 494 4 1 495 13 3 
		
	
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 
			  Total spend Spend in Scotland 1 Total spend Spend in Scotland 1 
			 Programme(34) £ million3, 4 £ million3, 4 Percentage £ million3, 4 £ million3, 4 Percentage 
		
		
			 New Deal for 18–25+ 353 34 10 335 37 11 
			 Work Based Learning for Adults(37) 264 0 0 2 0 2 
			 Project Work 0 0 0 275 0 0 
			 Jobsearch Provision(38) 32 3 11 30 3 12 
			 Employment Zones 1 0 0 54 6 11 
			 Others(39) 12 0 1 7 0 3 
			 Total 657 37 6 703 47 7 
		
	
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 
			  Total spend Spend in Scotland 1 Total spend Spend in Scotland 1 
			 Programme(34) £ million3, 4 £ million3, 4 Percentage £ million3, 4 £ million3, 4 Percentage 
		
		
			 New Deal for 18–25+ 359 36 10 292 42 14 
			 New Deal 50+ 2 0 6 3 0 6 
			 Work Based Learning for Adults(37) 168 1 0 123 0 0 
			 Jobsearch Provision(38) 19 3 17 16 3 21 
			 Employment Zones 93 10 11 86 8 10 
			 Others(39) 7 0 4 11 0 4 
			 Total 648 50 8 531 55 10 
		
	
	
		
			  2003–04 
			  Total spend Spend in Scotland 1 
			 Programme(34) £ million3, 4 £ million3, 4 Percentage 
		
		
			 New Deal for 18–25+ 352 42 12 
			 New Deal 50+ 3 0 6 
			 Work Based Learning for Adults(37) 160 0 0 
			 Jobsearch Provision(38) 19 3 15 
			 Employment Zones 79 10 12 
			 Ambitions 8 0 6 
			 Others(39) 18 1 7 
			 Total 639 57 9 
		
	
	(33) Includes expenditure incurred by Employment Service's/Jobcentre Plus' "Office for Scotland" region. Figures exclude expenditure controlled centrally within the Employment Service/Jobcentre Plus and DWP/DfEE; and expenditure that has been devolved to the Scottish Executive.
	(34) The programmes exclude initiatives not primarily aimed at the unemployed.
	(35) Figures rounded to nearest million; figures may not sum due to rounding.
	(36) Figures comprise DEL programme expenditure only.
	(37) Called Training for Work in Scotland. Figures for Scotland excluded as this is a devolved responsibility.
	(38) Jobsearch provision includes expenditure on Jobclubs, Jobplan and Jobsearch.
	(39) Includes expenditure on Jobfinders Grant, Travel to Interview Scheme, Advisers Discretionary Fund, Worktrials, Job Transition Service/Rapid Response Service, Workwise/Worklink, Jobmatch, Restart, Employment Retention and Advancement Demonstration, and associated programme expenditure (e.g. marketing and research).